Make your home sparkle with easy homemade cleaners, and kick hazardous chemical cleaners to the curb...

The following is an excerpt from Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss (Storey, 2011). The excerpt is from Chapter 1: Sparkling Waters.

A ripe honeydew melon is hard to find. That’s because these melons do not ripen further after being harvested and do not travel well after ripening. Look for melons that have a creamy yellow (rather than pale green) cast to the skin and a pronounced honeydew aroma. If you can’t find a ripe specimen, you can substitute watermelon. Either way, this naturally sweet sparkling water is one of the most refreshing summer beverages imaginable.

1. Mash the honeydew and mint leaves with a vegetable masher into a loose, wet purée. Set a strainer over a small bowl and scrape the purée into the strainer, so that it drains into the bowl below. Stir the purée gently as it strains to get as much liquid through as possible without forcing any solids into the strained liquid. Discard the solids, and stir the salt into the liquid.

2. The purée can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, but it is best to use it immediately.

To Mix with Seltzer:

1/2 cup honeydew juice1 cup seltzer

1. Pour the juice into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve. Makes 1 serving.

Mixology

Prepare the honeydew juice as described above, then carbonate with seltzer.

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